After pondering about the Way of St. James for several months, I thought maybe I was to take a pilgrimage to Spain, that beautiful trip of the mind and heart to the shrine of St. James of Compostela. But through prayer, it seems my “way” for now is to read the book of James in … Read More
This couple coined the term “Vocation Awareness”
It takes a family, and what a family this was! The marriage of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin led them to parent one saint, St. Therese of Lisieux; Leonie Martin, a Visitation nun on the path towards beatification; and three other daughters who became Carmelite nuns like St. Therese. “The holy spouses Louis Martin and … Read More
The Journey to Christmas
It was late when my plane touched down in Tel Aviv, but after years of anticipation, I had finally made it – I was in the land of Jesus and the Gospels! It was dark as our bus worked its way through the hill country of Israel on its way to our first stop: Bethlehem. … Read More
The Holy Eucharist Never Stops Inspiring
A Basilian monk, who had doubted the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist, was celebrating Mass, and at the consecration, saw that the Host had changed into flesh. The wine had changed into blood; clotting and coagulating into five clots of differing sizes. His doubt led to the first recorded Eucharistic Miracle, making … Read More
This Powerhouse of a Saint Finds more than Lost Items
The back of the envelope had the initials S.A.G. with a cross on each side. Inside, was some money and the sender –a wise mother– had invoked St. Anthony of Padua to make sure it got to her daughter who was overseas. This was before cellphones, computers, and automatic transfers. It was just the 1980s, … Read More
When Mary Visits
The Old Testament shows the prefigurement of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. In 2 Samuel, Uzzah is struck dead for touching the ark of the covenant and David feels unworthy to bring the ark to Jerusalem. So, David takes the ark to the house of Obed-Edom where the ark remained for three months. While … Read More
I Saw the Sign
This phrase brings back more than just an amazing song from my youth. They remind me of one of the most poignant and memorable aspects of walking the Camino de Santiago – seeing the signs along The Way that helped direct me on the path towards Santiago. I, like all Camino pilgrims, watched eagerly for … Read More
Pope Francis Authorizes Official Pilgrimages to Medjugorje
TEKTON MINISTRIES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information or to arrange a pilgrimage with your parish or diocese contact Richard Sontag at 317-574-4191 or [email protected]. Marian Shrine in Bosnia-Herzegovina draws more than 40 million pilgrims since 1981 Medjugorje— May 13, 2019 Pope Francis has authorized official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, meaning that any Catholic entity (diocese, … Read More
St. Bona of Pisa Has Been Taking Care of Pilgrims for a Long Time
This saint is a true pilgrimage friend. While St. Bona of Pisa might not be as well known for walking the El Camino trail in Spain like St. Francis of Assisi or the Spanish war-hero El Cid, she is one powerful saint to ask for intercessions on your journey. St. Bona of Pisa’s feast day … Read More
50 Ways to Call Your Mother
The “Litany of Loreto” is a powerful prayer composed in the Middle Ages and embraced by pilgrims at the Marian Shrine in Loreto, Italy, where tradition claims the original house of the Virgin Mary was transported. For centuries, the shrine has attracted pilgrims from all over the world. As a result, many of these pilgrims … Read More
Moses: Pilgrimage to the Promised Land
excerpted from “Great Pilgrims of the Old Testament” Many years after the death of Joseph, the new kings had no appreciation of how Joseph had saved Egypt from the great famine. The Hebrew people had become so numerous, that the pharaoh began to fear them and decreed that all male Hebrew babies must be drowned … Read More
Carrying Camino Intentions
A Pilgrim’s Prayer: O God, who brought your servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldean’s, protecting him in his wanderings, who guided the Hebrew people across the desert, we ask that you watch over us, your servants, as we walk in the love of your name to Santiago de Compostela. Be for us … Read More
Our Best Tour Guide is Found in Heaven
The life of St. Joseph must have been extremely interesting. In the words of St. John Paul the Great, “Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure.” And from the viewpoint of St. Joseph, his life was quite literally an adventure with Christ. From being visited by angels in his sleep, to caring for a pregnant … Read More
How a Pilgrimage to My Ancestors’ Homeland Restored My Faith
My adult faith had never been lower than the first time I set my big, wide Irish feet on actual Irish soil. My beloved grandmother had passed away a few months before the trip. I’d inherited her rosary, the one on which each bead represented to her one member of her family of nine children … Read More
Why do the Five Stones Challenge for Lent?
It was about this time last year that I really started getting interested in Medjugorje. At that point, I had been working for Tekton about seven months. We had a few pilgrimages come and go to Medjugorje, and I had heard scattered conversations and stories around the office about Medjugorje, but did I really know … Read More